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Y.A. Tittle (Yelberton Abraham) Tittle, died on Sunday night, 8 October 2017, at age 90. For football fans in the 1960s, Y.A.Tittle was the classic drop back passer who–banged up and battered and bloodied–always got up for the next play or the next game. As Quarterback for the New York Giants,coached by the legendary Allie Sherman, he took them to three straight title games in 1961, 1962, and 1963. The Giants failed to win any of them, but it never curbed the love that New York Giants fans had for Tittle, who was old when he got there after a trade from San Francisco and aged in the job. Born in Texas and educated at LSU, where he played football, Tittle became everyman’s folk hero, the player deemed too old and too slow to make it to the top, but who did it despite the odds, voted into the Hall of Fame in a career in which he threw for 242 touchdowns and over 33,000 yards in 17 seasons. Look closely at some of the early photos of Y.A. Tittle, and when you look into his eyes you see a gleam of competitiveness that reveals the true nature of the man.(Tittle was also the center of one of the most incredible sports photos of all time, a shot taken by Morris Berman of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which shows Tittle, stunned and bleeding, after a hit from a Steelers lineman; you can access the photo via the NYT tribute to Tittle, which is linked below.) Y.A. was one of those guys who just knew how to win. As any real athlete knows, the most dangerous man on the field is not always the young highly touted rookie, but often the aging veteran who’s seen it all and is still in the game. Those are the guys that dismantle those who don’t pay enough attention to them. They know how to win.
Embed from Getty Images
Take some time and read the thoughtful, appreciative obituary of Y.A. from Today’s New York Times and then enjoy the tribute film from the NFL. Y.A.–thanks for all those grey, Sunday afternoon memories. You won’t be forgotten.
The Fine Print: Photograph of Y.A. Tittle courtesy of our friends at Getty Images, who have the photographic history of the 20th and 21st century on file. This photo has not been altered in any way. We thank them for sharing. We also thank our friends at YouTube and the NFL for sharing their video tribute on Y.A. via YouTube (another great bunch of guys). All rights belong to the respective rights holders. Thanks for reading and watching.